NDP Leadership Hopeful Theresa Oswald Pitches Manitoba Pension Plan

WINNIPEG — NDP leadership candidate Theresa Oswald has proposed a pension plan for the more than half of Manitobans who don’t have one.

Oswald said if she’s elected she would create a plan similar to the one under development in Ontario, which is funded through employee and employer contributions.

“After a lifetime of working hard, Manitobans deserve to have a secure retirement with a strong pension,” Oswald said. “Helping people save for their retirement will make it easier for people to retire with dignity. It will also help our economy and save taxpayers money in the long-term.”

Today’s maximum Canadian Pension Plan retirement benefit is $12,500 per year, but the average annual benefit is $6,800.

Oswald said the federal government has refused to expand the CPP and the maximum benefit isn’t nearly enough.

“Families want and need better retirement security, and they deserve a government that will deliver for them.”

NDP party members will choose either Oswald, Premier Greg Selinger or Steve Ashton as their leader at an annual convention in March.